


pink camellia

by decaf and sleep (kohiii)



Category: Vampire Knight (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, M/M, author knows nothing about tattoos and it shows, brain cells are hard, written in lapslock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-27 09:57:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20946464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kohiii/pseuds/decaf%20and%20sleep
Summary: in which kaname owns a tattoo parlor and zero works in the flower shop next door





	pink camellia

**Author's Note:**

> obligatory flower shop x tattoo parlor au is obligatory  
side note: pink camellias usually symbolize a longing for someone

kaname could pinpoint the exact moment his life started going downhill. 

when he was ten, both his parents suddenly died and left him with a still drooling little sister and a shady looking old man who claimed to be their distantly related granduncle. he was pretty sure said old man actually had absolutely no relation to him and was only after the kuran fortune. for starters, ichijou asato looked nothing like him and everyone knew that all kurans practically looked the same for some weird reason or another. 

thankfully ichijou's grandchild was a sweet tempered boy that did _ not _give kaname the creeps. in the days to come, ichijou takuma would be one of kaname's few sources of sanity in that otherwise lunatic house. the other source being his darling little sister, naturally. 

but that was beside the point. 

at some point in kaname's high school years, his thought-to-be-dead uncle was discovered to be actually not quite so dead. and before kaname could blink, both he and yuuki were unceremoniously dumped into uncle rido's lap. not literally (thankfully). 

kaname was pretty sure that dear uncle ridou was also after the kuran family fortune. 

(or maybe he was after yuuki, who ended up the spitting image of their mother. and kaname remembered all the stories about how rido creeped after their mother before -- and after -- her marriage to their father. if only child protection services would take him seriously, damn it.) 

before he left for college, he made arrangements to keep yuuki out of rido's hands. namely by sending her far away to some prestigious academy that was run by one of their parents' old friends. 

and oh was uncle rido _ecstatic _ about that. 

kaname wasn't sure how his uncle achieved it, but he was dead certain that it was ridou's fault his career fell apart faster than a burning house. as soon as he graduated, it became nearly impossible to find a job. 

so he decided to scrap his college degree and pursue his childhood dream of being a tattoo artist and parlor owner. 

...or at least that was the bullshit story he told to anyone who ever asked. 

how he ended up as a tattoo parlor owner was unimportant. the only important thing that you needed to take away from this whole story was that kaname simply did not have good things. bad luck chased at his heels like an impatient dog, constantly tackling him to the ground. 

but his luck was about to change. 

\---

"how is it that you're the goddamn owner of this place but you don't have a single tattoo?" 

a shriek of outrage. "how dare you say that to kaname-sama?" 

"kaname-sama this, kaname-sama that. are you his bitch or something?" 

once again, kaito and hanabusa were at it. 

takamiya kaito was a regular at the shop, but it didn't mean he didn't enjoy trying to provoke everyone who worked there. aidou hanabusa was an overenthusiastic employee that kaname sometimes regretted hiring, but only sometimes because in spite of the blond's personality he was a talented and dedicated worker. 

unfortunately, the two of them seemed to share a single brain cell and enjoyed playing hot potato with it every time they saw each other. 

"takamiya," kaname managed to say, still with a perfectly pleasant smile on his face. "if you don't stop moving, you're going to end up with 'IDIOT' across your forehead." he held up the tattoo needle for emphasis. 

kaito scowled. but he stopped taunting hanabusa, so kaname counted that as a win. kaname managed to finish the rest of the tattoo in relative peace and quiet, and kaito even begrudgingly admitted that it was, "a good fucking job, as usual." as hanabusa finished ringing up kaito's fees for the session, kaito turned to kaname. 

"hey kuran. you do any in depth tattoo consultations or shit like that?" 

kaname frowned. "why wouldn't i?" 

"i've got this friend who's been wanting a tattoo for a while now, but he's not exactly sure what he wants." 

"that's fine. just tell him to drop by when he's available and i'll sit down to take a look at what ideas he has." it wasn't like his shop was exactly popping with business anyways. 

he hoped kaito's friend was nowhere as infuriating as kaito though. 

\---

kaname was wrong. 

so wrong. 

\---

"kuran kaname?" the silver-haired vision in front of him asked. 

his brain barely managed to unscramble itself. "yes, that's me." 

"kiryuu zero -- i'm kaito's friend. he mentioned that you said i could drop by for a consultation?" 

_ this _ was kaito's friend? oh no, he was cute. 

still slightly in a daze, kaname ignored hanabusa's incredulous stare and led zero to the back of the shop where he kept his binder of designs. he gestured at zero to take a seat, and then sat down himself while pulling out a clean sheet of paper. 

"alright then, let's take a look at your reference material." 

it was a pleasant consultation. 

zero was a relatively pleasant conversation partner, even if the other man tended to be more on the quiet side. kaname wasn't exactly a chatterbox either, and he found zero's straightforward approach refreshing. <strike> and very attractive </strike>. unlike some of his customers, zero had a decently solid grasp of where and what he wanted for his tattoo. 

the two of them ended up having a very enjoyable discussion, both about the tattoo but also straying into slightly more personal topics. that was how kaname learned about zero's fond exasperation towards his free-spirited younger twin brother and zero managed to get kaname to open up about his younger sister. 

kaname was surprised by how easy it was to talk to the other man. kaname rarely brought up the topic of his younger sister, finding it too difficult to talk about yuuki after he was forced to send her so far away. but something about zero made it possible to talk about her without the usual overwhelming feelings of guilt and pain. 

the consultation was then over in a flash, and kaname found himself looking forward to zero's next visit.

\---

kaname was still on cloud nine when kaito came in for his usual visit.

as hanabusa rang up kaito's usual charges, kaname waived it. "on the house." he interjected, causing both hanabusa and kaito to stare at him in disbelief. "consider it as thanks." 

kaito looked more confused by that. "for what?" 

smirking, kaname walked away from the counter, waving a hand at him dismissively. 

"for what, kuran? ...kuran? KURAN?"

\--- 

"you can have tomorrow off," kaname told hanabusa as the blond helped him finishing locking up for the night. 

hanabusa looked confused. "kaname-sama, what…?" 

"aidou." hanabusa snapped to attention. "take tomorrow off." 

kaname's tone brooked no room for argument. 

\---

"your assistant isn't here today," zero remarked, glancing at the counter where hanabusa usually spent his time. 

kaname smiled, retrieving his notes from zero's previous consultation from his binder. "he decided to take the day off," the brunet explained, laying the paper flat in between the two of them. "so, based on our conversation last time, here is the final design i've drafted." he pulled out another piece of paper and laid it down. 

when zero's eyes lit up at kaname's art, kaname felt a glow of pride at zero's interest in his work. there was a bit of a back and forth as the two made minor adjustments, kaname's heart leaping every time his fingers accidentally brushed against zero's. he hoped that the other man couldn't hear how fast his heart was currently beating. 

the two of them surveyed the final piece. 

"nice work, kuran," zero murmured appreciatively. "you really have a knack for this." he looked up, and kaname's breath caught in his throat at the smile on zero's face.

"it helps when i have a good partner," he ended up replying, settling for a casual smirk. 

zero's smile widened into a smirk of his own. "that's smooth, kuran." 

afjlkdsjdf. his brain sputtered and died.

urgh, what was wrong with him today? how could a mere smile from a really cute man throw him off this much? 

"now that we've settled on the design, when do you want to come in for the actual tattooing? since you're getting your tattoo on the shoulder, it might take around --" 

"neck." kaname was confused. what? "not my shoulder, kuran. i changed my mind. i want it on my neck." 

silence.

kaname's eyes automatically slid down to zero's neck. _ it's a very nice neck. _as he stared at the pale expanse of zero's neck, kaname's brain cells conga line'd their way out of his brain. 

"--alright, kuran?" 

his brain cells slowly trudged back in. kaname blinked. "sorry?" 

"i asked if that was going to be alright, kuran," zero slowly explained, looking slightly concerned at kaname's expression. what kind of expression _ was _he making anyways? 

quickly schooling his face into a semblance of normal, kaname coughed lightly. "a bit unexpected, but yes. let's set up a time for you to come in then." he tried really hard to steer his mind away from thoughts about zero's neck. 

eventually they settled on a time next week. kaname made a mental note to tell hanabusa not to come in on that day, either. he felt a bit bad (not really) about changing the blond's schedule so whimsically but -- 

his eyes slid to zero, who gave him another one of those precious smiles. 

worth it.

the two stood up, and kaname was about to walk zero to the door when the other man stopped him. he looked at zero quizzically. 

"payment," zero explained, seeming like he was biting back laughter. "how much do i owe you for the consultation, kuran? kaito told me there's a deposit charge for custom art." 

oh.

"don't worry about it," kaname shook his head. "it's your first tattoo. we can settle on a price after everything's done." zero looked a bit skeptical at kaname's offer but kaname reassured him that _ it's fine, really, you don't need to worry about it_. 

and it was on that high note that their second meeting ended. kaname watched zero's disappearing form, then shook himself as he realized how <strike> slightly </strike> creepy that was. it was such a pity that he would have to wait another week to see zero.

\---

so as it turned out, kaname _ didn't _ have to wait another week to see zero. 

\---

kaname stood outside his shop, dumbfounded, as if he had been struck by lightning. 

"...i didn't realize you worked here," he managed to say after ten awkward seconds of silent eye contact. 

zero shrugged, setting down the bucket of flowers he had been carrying. "to be fair, i didn't realize we were neighbors either until kaito pointed you out to me." 

kaname didn't know what to say, because his mind was reeling -- 

a) cute tattoo boy was actually also cute flower boy.

b) cute flower boy worked next door. 

c) next. door. _ next door!_

"well, i've got to get back to work. see you around, kuran." while he was standing still like an idiot, zero had finished whatever he was doing and retreated back into the depths of the flower shop. 

meanwhile, kaname's brain ran through a list of upcoming dates, wondering if he had a good excuse to walk into that flower shop. he walked back into the tattoo parlor absentmindedly, ignoring hanabusa's calls of concern. 

if he remembered correctly, takuma's birthday was coming up…

\---

the bell on the door jingled merrily as he made his way in. 

"sorry, we're closing up soon -- oh, hey kuran." zero was sitting behind the counter, carefully trimming the thorns off of a rose stem. zero's impassive expression broke into a small smile. 

kaname didn't blush. he didn't. 

he cleared his throat. "i can come back another day if --" 

waving it off, zero set down the flower and stood up. "it's fine. what can i help you with?" 

right. yes. 

"my friend takuma's birthday is coming up soon," kaname laid out his carefully crafted excuse. "i figured i'd change it up and get him some flowers since he's always complaining that no one ever gets him flowers." a lie, but zero didn't need to know that. 

zero nodded, stepping out from behind the counter and guiding kaname around the shop. "do you know what kind of flowers your friend likes? or is there anything you're looking for in particular?" 

"not really," kaname admitted, following zero around. "i'll defer to your expert judgement when it comes to this." 

"hmm, what's your friend like?" 

_ abnormally cheery for someone who grew up under the thumb of ichijou asato_. 

"he's very cheerful," kaname responded after a bit of thinking. "a peacekeeper type. and a good person." 

zero nodded, staring at a bucket of small white flowers. his brows were furrowed in thought, and then his expression cleared. "alright, i have a general idea. if you come back in about two days, i'll have the arrangement ready." 

kaname raised an eyebrow at the lack of detail. 

"you trust my expertise, don't you?" 

kaname nodded. 

"alright then. i'll see you in two days." 

...kaname needed to stop having heart attacks every time zero smiled at him.

\--- 

kaname's infamous bad luck struck when he went to pick up the flowers from zero's shop. 

his steps faltered as he approached the counter, realizing just what zero was carefully trimming. zero looked up at the sound of his approach, a greeting on his lips but his expression shifting when he noticed kaname's apprehensive look. 

"what's wrong, kuran?" 

kaname tried for a smile. "everything's fine, kiryuu-kun. i'm curious to see what kind of flower arrangement you have for me." he bravely ignored the tickling in his nose. 

zero gave him another look that told kaname he clearly wasn't buying it, but the other man relented. while zero disappeared into the back of the store looking for the arrangement, kaname carefully edged away from the dreaded flowers on the counter. 

unfortunately for him, the little bit of space didn't help, and he could feel a headache coming on. 

"a-achoo!" 

thankfully kaname was able to muffle his sneeze in time. he just hoped that zero hadn't heard it. 

speak of the devil. 

zero came out of the storage area in the back, hands holding a beautiful arrangement of flowers. (kaname was not biased. this was 100% an objective observation.) he ran a finger through the colorful blooms, admiring the whites and yellows and purples. 

he was sorely tempted to keep this arrangement for himself instead of giving it to takuma.

"so, kuran," kaname looked up from the flowers. "what do you know about the language of flowers?" 

he hesitated. "i believe red roses are commonly used to indicate romantic intentions," he said carefully, holding back the urge to sneeze again. "but otherwise i'm rather -- achoo!" 

...oh no. 

despite his best efforts, kaname's face adopted a red hue. 

"...kuran?" 

kaname was too embarrassed to look up. 

"are you allergic to flowers?" zero sounded confused. "but you weren't sneezing last time you came in…" 

sighing, kaname finally met zero's gaze. there was no point in hiding it. "i'm allergic to orchids." 

their eyes simultaneously slid to the pot of orchids sitting innocently on the counter. nodding in understanding, zero swiftly removed the orchids from the countertop, setting them down in a far corner behind the counter. he came back, looking apologetic. "sorry, i didn't realize. i'll remember to put the orchids away when you come next time." 

and then, realizing what he just said, zero flushed. 

kaname stared, not daring to believe what he just heard. next time? did that mean zero was...

"but why didn't you just tell me?" 

"well…" kaname carefully began. "my family name -- do you know how 'kuran' is written, kiryuu-kun?" 

he watches as zero's face lights up in realization. 

"the 'ku' is written with the old-fashioned character for 'nine', and...the 'ran' is written with the character for 'orchid'. together 'kuran' reads 'nine orchids'." 

zero shakes his head in sympathy "...wow, no offense, but that's a really shitty joke the universe is trying to play on you." sensing kaname's unwillingness to talk any further about the topic, he began pointing out the different flowers in the arrangement. 

"see these little white flowers? they're called lilies of the valley, and they're often a symbol for happiness. these purple and yellow flowers are crocuses, and they mean success and cheerfulness." 

kaname marveled at each blossom as zero told him their meaning. "thank you," he said quietly, unexpectedly touched by how much care zero put in the arrangement. now he really regretted buying these for takuma instead of himself. 

after paying for them, he picked up the flowers carefully and stared at zero for a few moments. he wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure what to say. 

"i'll...see you next week then," kaname ended up saying. 

zero was also regarding him quietly, a strange kind of intensity in his eyes. kaname wasn't sure what to make of it. 

"wait a second," the silver-haired man said. 

kaname waited as zero walked over to a bucket of vibrant flowers. he carefully combed through them, then selected a fiery red one. walking back to kaname, he held it out. kaname freed one of his hands and took the bloom. 

"this is for you," zero told him in the same quiet tone kaname had used earlier to thank him. "it's called a ranunculus." 

kaname looked down at the flower, then back up at zero. "and what does it mean?" he whispered, noting how the distance between them had shrunk. 

"i am dazzled by your charms."

\--- 

takuma was confused when kaname handed him the flowers. 

"thanks?" the blond took the flowers while shooting his friend a curious look. "the flowers are lovely, but this is kind of an unusual present from you, kaname." 

kaname waited for takuma to realize what kind of flowers he was holding. since the kuran siblings were only asato's wards and not his heir, they had thankfully escaped the torture of the asato's strict education regime. asato was a very traditional man, and growing up as his heir meant takuma ended up learning about all kinds of outdated high society traditions. 

for example, the language of flowers. 

"i didn't realize you knew floriography," takuma said carefully, his eyes trained on kaname's face. 

kaname tried his best to keep an impassive expression, but growing up with takuma meant that the blond probably (definitely) could detect the faint blush dusting his cheeks. 

beaming at his childhood friend, takuma laid a hand on kaname's arm. "i'm happy for you," the blond nodded at the flowers. "they must be someone really special." 

kaname thought about the pleasant conversations, the lighthearted banter, the genuine concern, and the lovely blush on zero's face when he slipped that he was looking forward to their next interaction, and the quiet moment with the ranunculus. 

"he is," kaname finally smiled at his friend. "he makes me happy." 

\--- 

kaname could pinpoint the exact moment things started looking up in his life. 

when he was thirty-three, he suddenly met the one who would one day become the most important person in his life. 

from the very beginning, something clicked, and it was love at first sight. they danced around each other for a while, because neither was sure the other felt the same way. at the rate their relationship was progressing, kaname would be pushing up daisies before they would even get around to holding hands. 

so kaname decided to pursue the adorable florist and eventually asked zero to marry him.

...or at least that was the bullshit story he told to anyone who ever asked. 

how he ended up as a happily married husband to a florist was unimportant. the only important thing that you needed to take away from this whole story was that kaname found happiness in the most unexpected place. life was simply unpredictable that way, and kaname only could simply hang on along for the ride. 

and he wouldn't have it any other way. 

**Author's Note:**

> i feel like i definitely haven't done this au any justice ahhhhhh ; w ; 
> 
> also why is there no discord for this ship ლ(ಥ益ಥლ)


End file.
